Beautiful Hermione
by Jessika Organa Solo
Summary: RH. Not nearly as cheesy as it may sound! COMPLETE!
1. Ch 1

A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters!!! Sorry this chapter is so short. I wrote it out on paper and it seemed a lot longer… hrmph. Anyways, I hope you enjoy. It's independent of my other stories and not near as cheesy as you might think it would be.

"A beauty pageant, Hermione. Come on, don't you think it will be fun? Everyone's entering, and I don't really want to do it alone. Please? For me?" Ginny begged Hermione as the pair sat at breakfast on a Sunday morning in October. "I don't know, Ginny. It's not really my desire to be in a beauty contest," Hermione sighed, stirring her porridge. "Oh come on, didn't you dream about being Miss Witch or what ever it is that the muggles have?" Ginny continued, knowing that Young Hermione had been like every other little girl despite her brains. "Okay, I give up. Put my name down," Hermione said, exasperated. "We'll have so much fun!" Ginny said, clapping her hands and jumping up from the table.

"Are you mad? You? In a beauty pageant?" Ron guffawed at lunch when Hermione had mentioned the pageant. She fought off tears as she said, "I'm just doing it for Ginny because she asked me to. Besides, I'm sure I won't make it past the first round anyway." Ron laughed, bits of sausage flying from his mouth and on to the table. "You've got that right," he said through his food. Hermione blushed angrily, turning in her seat so she wouldn't have to look at Ron. Harry looked from Hermione to Ron but refrained from commenting. Ginny was busy talking to Lavender, who was sitting across from Harry.

After hearing Ron's initial reaction, Hermione gave him the cold shoulder throughout the rest of the day and on into Monday. Ron didn't notice, of course, as he was too busy talking about the upcoming Quidditch match with Hufflepuff. "You okay, Hermione?" Ginny said from her spot on the couch in the Gryffindor common room. She was attempting to work on her homework while Harry sat with his are around her shoulders, reading a chapter in his transfiguration textbook. "I'm fine," Hermione said, not looking up from her arithmancy homework, "I'm just a bit tired."

To be quite honest, Hermione had been looking forward to the pageant before she had heard Ron's reaction to her decision to enter the contest. She wasn't sure why it bothered her so badly, but it did. 'If he thinks that, then everyone else is going to think that too,' she mused, pretending to be making calculations in her homework. Wistfully, she imagined herself in beautiful, sparkling robes, wearing a diamond tiara and waving to the crowded Great Hall. 'Why couldn't it be me?' she asked herself, setting down her quill and smiling. It was time to get out those magazines that her mum was always sending.

Late that night, with her bed curtains drawn around her, Hermione flipped through the pages of "Vogue," an American muggle fashion magazine that her mum had sent. "Have a flatter tummy in two weeks," the article said. Hermione tore out the page with the exercises and stuck it to the wall behind her bed with some spellotape. She also stuck up a picture of a hair do that she liked and several pages of make up tips. Even though she was quite talented at charms, Hermione preferred to do her make up the muggle way. Around 2 am, Hermione finally went to bed, only after doing her ab exercises, mind you.

At breakfast the next morning, Professor McGonagall passed out rolls of parchment to many girls at each of the house tables. "Pageant rules!" Ginny squeaked excitedly. Hermione unrolled the parchment, glancing over the rules quickly. She had finished up all of her homework for the week already, so she could allow herself some time in the library, researching the past Hogwarts pageants. She already knew that the winner at Hogwarts would go to the Miss Witch competition in Paris, but that was all she knew. So, in typical Hermione fashion, she would head to the library after classes had ended for the day.

To be continued…


	2. Ch 2

A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters!!! Sorry my chapters are so short. Like I said earlier, I wrote them on paper and they seemed longer than this…

After dinner, when Harry and Ron were busy trying to finish their potions homework, Hermione quietly slipped out of the common room and down to the library, her book bag filled with "Teen Witch" magazines that she had borrowed from Ginny. As she passed a mirror, she looked at her reflection, pausing briefly. "Don't worry," the mirror whispered, "No one will notice those eyebrows if you keep frowning like that." Hermione frowned even more and turned on her heel, practically running to the library to look up a spell for eyebrow waxing.

Hermione slipped into an empty chair at a table in the back of the library. She pulled out the pageant rules and read:

**Hogwarts****School**** Beauty Pageant**

**-Rules and Regulations-**

**The pageant will be held December 15th in the Great Hall.**

**Round 1 will be an evening robe competition where the field will be narrowed from 80 to 15.**

**Round 2 will be a charms presentation where the field will be narrowed to 5.**

**Round 3 will be a final question and the winner will be named.**

**See attached sheets for specific rules for each round.**

'A charms presentation?' Hermione smiled thoughtfully. She had recently achieved a 104% on the first test in her NEWT level charms class. Professor Flitwick had happily announced that it was the highest test grade he had ever had in his NEWT classes. 'The question won't be much,' she thought to herself, 'so all that's left is getting past the first round. I guess it's time to get some outside assistance.'

Since the weekend was a Hogsmede weekend, allowing the girls to get new robes for the pageant, Hermione owled the hair salon in Hogsmede to schedule a consultation with a stylist. She also picked out several styles of robes that she thought would be flattering to her petite figure. She told no one of her desires to win, not even Ginny.

Ron had finally figured out that Hermione was acting differently toward him, but he stupidly blurted out, "Must be her time of the month," just has she had walked up beside him. Understandably, she didn't speak to him for the rest of the day, even after he stumbled his way through an apology at lunch on Friday. Hermione ignored him altogether and buried her face in her transfiguration book, trying to finish her homework that wouldn't be assigned until Monday. Harry and Ginny were starting to become concerned about her, but explained her mood change away as stress over schoolwork; they knew that Hermione had already been studying for the NEWTs.

After NEWT potions, Hermione climbed the stairs up to the Gryffindor common room and then up to the 7th year girls' dormitories. She had been named Head Girl, but had chosen to stay in the dormitory over getting her own room. She still had her own bathroom, but she told Professor Dumbledore that she enjoyed being with the other girls. The truth was, Hermione was afraid to be alone in her room at night. Any time she stayed for the holidays, she invited Ginny to stay in her dormitory so she wouldn't have to be alone in the dark. Professor Dumbledore didn't comment on her choice, but she got the feeling that somehow, he knew the real reason she stayed in the dormitory. She didn't mind though; she was brave enough when she had to be, like while facing Voldemort with Harry, so she figured that she could be allowed one tiny fear such as sleeping in a dark, empty bedroom.

Lying on her bed, Hermione gathered the magazine pages that contained her favorite hair styles and make up styles and tapped them with her wand, shrinking them to the size of a chocolate frog card so that she could put them in her purse to show to the stylist tomorrow at Madame Chic's Salon. After her consultation, she would be heading to the shops to buy robes for the evening rode competition. 'Who knows,' she thought to herself, walking across the dormitory to grab a magazine from her dresser, 'You might love the new Hermione so much, you'll never want to go back!'

Around 9 pm, Parvati came into the room alone, quietly walking over to Hermione's bed. "Hermione?" she asked, sitting down on Hermione's bed. "Are you feeling okay?" she continued. "I'm fine, why?" Hermione asked, suddenly looking confused. "Oh, I don't know. Ron and Ginny say you've been acting different since Ginny asked you to be in the pageant with her. They're pretty concerned that they've upset you. Is that true?" Parvati asked, causing Hermione to set her magazine down. "Ginny hasn't done anything," Hermione said, changing her position on the bed slightly. "But Ron has?" Parvati continued. Hermione remained silent for a moment and then said, "Ron has done nothing but be his usual self." Parvati regarded Hermione thoughtfully for a moment and then said, "I saw the pictures you had taped up to the wall. You have really good taste." Taken aback, Hermione said, "Thanks" as Parvati stood up and left the room. 'Maybe someday I can be more than a stupid know-it-all,' Hermione thought before re-opening the magazine to the article that she had been reading, "Stupid crush or true love?"

To be continued…


	3. Ch 3

A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters!!! Sorry my chapters are so short. Like I said earlier, I wrote them on paper and they seemed longer than this… You SNL fans will like this one!

It had been hard to convince Ginny and Harry that she wanted to shop alone, but even harder to convince Ron. "Aww, come on! What could you be buying that you don't want me to see?" he groaned as they stood in front of Honeyduke's. "Perhaps I am buying feminine items. Apparently, it's my time of the month!" she retorted, pretending to be very angry. After stomping off in the direction of the salon, Hermione smiled smugly. Ron was so much fun to manipulate, she had just discovered.

Hermione was lucky enough to have a consultation with Madame Chic herself, Donatella Versachi. Hermione looked at her in shock and Donatella said in her deep voice, "What? Just because I am so beautiful, I cannot possibly be a witch?"

"You have beautiful features, my dear, but you are hiding behind all of this hair. I will give you this straightening potion for you to try out before the pageant and to use on that night. You will be amazed at how different you will look. Also, you are fortunate enough to have the right coloring for this shocking pink look that you have picked out in this picture. You could have robes made in a beaded fabric that is this pink color. Then, choose this frosted pink and silver make up from this picture. You will be one sexy… witch! Sorry, I've been around muggles for too long," Donatella said, examining Hermione's magazine articles. Hermione was in awe. Not only was she sitting with Donatella Versachi, but Donatella Versachi had told her that she had beautiful features!

After paying for her consultation and taking the jar of hair potion that Donatella had given her, Hermione headed for a small, trendy robe shop that was off the main strip. Donatella had owled ahead and arranged for Hermione to meet with Maya, a brilliant, yet young, robe designer. Donatella had told Maya what the robes should look like, and Maya had begun making them as Hermione walked from the salon to the shop, Threads.

To her horror, Hermione saw Ron leaning against the door frame at the shop. "Are Ginny and Harry inside?" she asked stiffly. "Nope," Ron said, his hands in the kangaroo pouch on the muggle hooded sweatshirt that he was wearing. His shaggy hair was falling in his eyes; Hermione secretly loved his new, longer hair do. "Then what are you doing here?" she asked, exasperated. Ron shrugged and said, "Looking for you." Forcing herself to ignore that "weak knees" feeling that she was experiencing, Hermione briskly said, "I've got to go get fitted for my new robes." Ron looked in her eyes, smiling slightly, and said, "I'll wait."

The entire time Hermione was being measured, she thought angrily about Ron. 'Who does he think he is? I told him I wanted to be alone, can't he respect that?' However, another part of her brain said, 'You _know_ you want him, Hermione. Remember the time you walked in on him in the prefects' bathroom and he didn't have a shirt on? Remember how you just wanted to touch his hot, sweaty—' "Granger?" a shrill voice interrupted her thoughts, "Don't tell me _you're_ entering the pageant! Didn't you know that only purebloods win it?" Pansy Parkinson said, her hands on her hips. She was carrying bright chartreuse robes on a hangar and Millicent Bulstrode was beside her, carrying yellow ones. "Maybe it will be different this year," Hermione said, her newly waxed eyebrows raised. Pansy huffed snootily and stormed out the door, Millicent in tow.

Hermione's beautiful robes were effectively hidden by the bag that Maya placed them in, leaving them on the hangar so Hermione could hang them up when she returned to Hogwarts later that afternoon. To Hermione's dismay, Ron was still leaning on the door frame outside the shop when she was finished. "Why aren't you off with Harry and Ginny?" she asked, shifting her bags to her other hand. Ron reached out and took her bags from her, noticing that she was struggling. "What did you do that for?" she asked, almost angry. 'How dare he be nice when I'm trying to be mad?' she thought. "Because I'm trying to show you that I'm sorry," he said, looking down at the ground. His long hair fell into his eyes and Hermione had to force herself to keep her hands at her side. "For what?" she asked softly, looking away from him. "For being a git when I should have been supportive of your decisions," he said, sounding like he was reciting something that he had memorized. "Did Ginny tell you to say that?" she asked suspiciously. "No!" Ron said, paused, and then mumbled, "Yes." He cringed, waiting for Hermione to blow up at him. She smiled, glad that he still feared her, and then said, "It's okay, at least you tried."

To be continued…


	4. Ch 4

A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters!!!  Oh, and in some of the reviews I've gotten, it sounds like you guys think this was the first fic I've ever written. I'll admit, I am a bit rusty and my first two chapters reflect this, but I've been around ff.net for a loooooooong time. Check out my other stories if you don't believe me. But, thanks for the suggestions all the same. This chap's a little longer. Enjoy!

Several awkward weeks passed for Hermione and Ron. Ron busied himself with Quidditch practice while Hermione buried herself in her school books and Ginny's magazines. Ginny's mum had been sending them magazines that she picked up while in Diagon Alley and the girls poured over them during late nights in the library. Hermione had been practicing her muggle make up while also teaching it to Ginny. "It just looks so much more real," Ginny said, amazed at the flawlessness of her face after Hermione had applied foundation. It was a Friday night, and the girls were sitting on Hermione's bed in the seventh year girls' dormitory. Lavender and Parvati were out in the common room with Seamus and Dean, their boyfriends, so Ginny and Hermione had the room all to themselves. "You're going to the Quidditch match tomorrow, aren't you?" Ginny asked, continuing to look in the mirror. Ginny had been moved to chaser after Harry had returned to the team in his sixth year, and Ginny had become one of the big stars of the team. After coming into his own during their fifth year, Ron was still the Gryffindor keeper. "Of course I'm coming!" Hermione said, smiling. Her stomach fluttered slightly as her thoughts drifted to Ron in his uniform; she was practically drooling. She wasn't exactly sure if she should or could fight the small crush that was turning into a big attraction, and at times, she was positive that Ron had feelings for her, too. "Ginny…" Hermione began, "can I ask you a question?" Ginny snapped the compact shut and turned to look at Hermione, sure that the question would involve her brother in some way. "How did you know when Harry liked you?" Hermione asked, pretending to be interested in the magazine that was in front of her. "Oh come on, Hermione, you've dated guys. Don't you know what it's like?" Ginny said, antagonizing Hermione on purpose. "Yes… but…" Hermione faltered. "But not someone like my brother, right?" Ginny said, mischief in her eyes. "How did you know?" Hermione gasped, her eyes wide. Laughing hysterically, Ginny said, "How could I not know? It's completely obvious, from both sides!" Hermione's face relaxed into a smile and said, "From both sides?" Laughing still, Ginny nodded. "Yes, from both sides."

On Saturday morning, Hermione walked down to breakfast by herself since Ron, Ginny, and Harry had to go to an early morning Quidditch meeting. She had looked out the window before leaving her dormitory, so she gathered up her scarf, gloves, and Gryffindor poncho since it seemed to be pouring outside. The ceiling of the Great Hall confirmed her observations. She sat down next to Neville and Luna Lovegood. Both were enjoying the newest edition of "The Quibbler" as they ate fruit and cereal. "Morning," Hermione said softly, smiling at them. "Good morning," they both replied in a sing-song way. Letting the conversation swirl around her, Hermione ate porridge and some biscuits with jam as members of the Gryffindor team began to appear. Ginny and Harry appeared in their Quidditch uniforms, holding hands and laughing, and sat down across from Hermione. "Mmm! Bacon!" Ginny said, grabbing a few pieces for herself and a few more for Harry. He smiled at her cheekily, stealing her biscuit right off of her plate. Hermione watched with amusement but discreetly looked up and down the table for Ron. "He forgot his gloves; he had to go upstairs to get them," Harry said, looking at Hermione. "Who?" Hermione said, startled. "Who do you think?" Ginny said, giggling.

Breakfast was ending and still no Ron. Hermione looked around anxiously, knowing that Ron wouldn't play well if he missed breakfast. The Great Hall was almost empty; even Ginny and Harry had left. Hermione grabbed a couple pieces of bacon and two biscuits and wrapped them up in a napkin. Grabbing her poncho, she walked out of the Great Hall just as the food began to disappear. The main hallway was empty as Hermione made her way back upstairs, positive that Ron was still looking for his gloves. Just as she reached the Fat Lady's portrait, Ron came bursting out. Swearing, he said, "Took me forever to find these bloody things, and now I've missed breakfast." Pulling her hand out of her sweatshirt pocket, Hermione said with a smile, "I brought it to you." Ron's demeanor changed instantly as he looked at Hermione, holding out the napkin. "You did this for me?" he said softly, reaching out to take the food. "I didn't want you to be hungry. I knew you would be upset if you missed breakfast," she said, trying not to burst into nervous giggles. "Thank you," he said, staring at her.

She wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen next, but before she knew it, Ron was hugging her. "I'm having a bad day," he sighed, still holding on to her, "It's the first time I've been nervous about a Quidditch match since fifth year." He released her, and for the first time, she noticed the he too was wearing his uniform. To conceal her shaking hands, she stuck them in the kangaroo pocket of her hooded sweatshirt as she and Ron walked slowly down the stairs, Ron eating his breakfast and Hermione trying not to laugh out of nervousness. 'This is ridiculous,' she said to herself, 'You've known him for seven years now. There's no need to act stupid.' "You okay?" Ron said, tossing the napkin in a trash can, "You seem quiet." Clearing her throat, Hermione said, "Oh, I'm fine. Just not looking forward to getting all wet outside." Ron laughed and said, "I think it's a bit funny." "What, me getting all wet? You think that's funny?" Hermione said, looking over at him, "I look like rubbish! My hair is all plastered to my head and my make up melts off, and you think it's funny?" "Yeah, I think it's funny. You look cute!" Ron said, still laughing. "We'll see how cute you think I look after the match," she said, secretly wanting to scream from happiness. "Okay, but that means you have to come see me in the locker room after the match, so I can see you at your most drenched," Ron said, pulling up his hood as they began to walk out the door. Hermione quickly transfigured her leather shoes to rubber as soon as she noticed that the ground was very muddy. "Alright, it's a deal," she said, "And good luck today." As they parted ways, Ron said, "Yell loud for me. I can always hear you."

Hermione was filled with butterflies, from head to toe. She squeezed in beside Parvati and Luna in the Gryffindor section of the grand stands. Through the rain, she could see the Gryffindor team making their way out of the locker room and onto the field. Seamus was the new announcer, and Hermione could hear his voice as she watched Ginny throwing the quaffle at Ron for a warm up. "How are things going for the pageant?" Parvati said to her, her head barely peaking out of her poncho. Brushing a few strands of soaked hair out of her face, Hermione said, "Good, I've got my robes and all, and I'm trying to pick out my charm, you?" Parvati embarked on a lengthy description of her robes and how they differed from her twin's, Padma. "Rumor has it, there's a celebration party after the pageant. Someone always spikes the punch. I'm looking forward to that part of the night the most!" Parvati said, laughing. "Eww, there's Malfoy," Lavender said, frowning as the Slytherin team lined up for the quaffle toss.

Slytherin was off to a good start, scoring 30 points right away. Harry was searching the rainy skies desperately for the snitch as Ginny and the other two chasers fought to get the quaffle back. "COME ON RON! YOU CAN DO IT!" Hermione yelled with Parvati and Lavender. Hermione saw Ron glance over and then looked back to the match, determination in his jaw. Ginny managed to squeak the quaffle past the Slytherin keeper twice before Slytherin could make another run at the Gryffindor goal. "BLOCK IT RON!" Hermione screamed loudly as the Slytherin chaser threw the quaffle at the goal opposite Ron. Ron made a spectacular dive and tipped the quaffle away with his fingers. The crowed erupted into screams as Ginny flew off with the quaffle. Dean began a rousing chorus of "Weasley is our King" and Hermione sang along loudly while Parvati screamed excitedly.

The first save seemed to snowball for Ron as he continued to make block after block. Malfoy and Harry were in a race for the snitch as Ginny scored another 10 points, raising the score to Gryffindor 70, Slytherin 30. Suddenly, Madame Hooch blew the whistle and Seamus shouted, "Gryffindor wins!" Hermione and Parvati screamed until they were hoarse as the rest of the crowd went wild. Both teams made their way to the ground, the Gryffindor team clapping and yelling all the way. "Party in the common room tonight, pass it around!" Dean whispered to Parvati, Lavender, Luna, and Hermione. "Unless the Head Girl objects," he added hastily. "Well, seeing as how the Head Boy is your Gryffindor keeper, I guess it will be alright," Hermione smiled. Dean let out the breath he was holding and yelled a loud, "WOOHOO!"

The group slowly made their way out of the grandstands and back to the castle. "Coming Hermione?" Parvati said as she and Lavender made their way up the path. "I'll be there in a few minutes. There's someone I have to meet at the locker rooms," Hermione said, pulling her hood down to let the rain soak her. "Sometimes I wonder about her," Parvati whispered to Lavender as they watched Hermione bounce down the hill.

Ron, Harry, Ginny, and a fifth year Hermione didn't know were standing outside the door to the locker room as Hermione came upon it. "I'll see you guys in the common room. I forgot my gloves inside," Ron said, looking at Hermione out of the corner of his eyes. "Alright, see you," Ginny said, a smirk inching its way across her lips as she saw Hermione walk up. The three left, leaving Ron and Hermione. Ron opened the door slightly and motioned for her to enter in front of him. "You're soaked," he said, flipping her hair. She laughed, her stomach in a nervous knot. "Where are your gloves?" she said, looking around. "In my pocket," he said, pulling them out to show her. His eyes glinted in the low candle light as Hermione looked at him. "Then why—" Hermione began, but was interrupted by Ron's lips upon hers. 'OH MY GOSH!' she screamed inside her head, kissing him back.

About thirty seconds later, Ron pulled away from her and clamped his hand over his mouth. "I'm sorry! I was just so happy that we won and… and… and you looked so cute," he babbled, "I just couldn't stop." Her hand on her furiously beating heart, Hermione said, "Did you want to stop?" Ron's eyes met hers. "No."

To be continued…


	5. Ch 5

A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters!!! This is a transitional chapter, so it's kind of short. The way I see it now, there should be like 3 more chapters after this one.

The victory party raged on for the majority of the night. After the incident in the locker rooms, Hermione and Ron avoided each other like the plague. Frequently, while staring at him from across the room, Hermione would catch Ron looking at her. Both were confused; who should say what? Were they a couple? It was easier to just avoid the entire situation. However, Hermione could not stop thinking about how it felt to kiss him. His lips were so soft and warm, and when he had put his arms around her… she sighed out loud. "Are you okay, Hermione?" Ginny whispered to her, holding a butterbeer. Harry was talking to Ron and Seamus, leaving Ginny to question Hermione. "Oh, I'm fine," Hermione said, avoiding Ginny's eyes. "How did it go in the locker room?" Ginny said suggestively, winking. "I have no idea what you are talking about." Hermione said, looking up at the clock. It was well past midnight. "Time for bed, everyone! Clean up your mess and then get to bed in fifteen minutes!" she said to the whole room. Many groaned loudly as they picked up butterbeer bottles and threw them in the trash. Eventually, everyone made their way up to the dormitories, still going over the best moments of the game.

Hermione lay in bed, her eyes wide as she stared up to the ceiling. Ron had kissed her. He had kissed her and she liked it, and now she didn't know what to do or how to act. She tossed and turned half of the night, sometimes getting up to look out the window. Around 2 am, she looked out, seeing the light on in what she thought was Ron's room. She could see him pacing his room, rubbing his eyes. He was only wearing pajama pants and his hair was all over the place. Hermione's heart raced. 'Stop this!' she said to herself, getting back into bed.

Neither Ron nor Hermione handled the next few days very well. She spent the majority of her time in the library, catching up on her NEWTs studying or looking up new charms spells for the pageant. She still hadn't found the perfect charm, and it was bothering her immensely. Ginny spent time with her while she was looking for the charm, but Ginny never asked about Ron or what happened the night of the last Quidditch match. A week had passed before Hermione even knew it. There were only two full weeks before the pageant, and she had four exams: Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. She knew that Ron and Harry also had those four exams, so she decided that it would be best if she continued to stay away from Ron. 'It's not like he'll study, but I don't need to be distracting him more.'

Ron, on the other hand, was thoroughly confused. He didn't know why Hermione was avoiding him; she acted like she liked the kiss, after all. He knew that she spent most of her time in the library, but he didn't think that talking to her there would be a good idea. In fact, Ginny said it would be best if he just left her alone for a little while. Girls were so confusing. Why didn't they teach a class at Hogwarts about understanding girls?

As pageant week approached, Ron grew tired of avoiding Hermione. He finally got the nerve to sit next to her at breakfast on the Friday morning before pageant week. "Morning, Hermione," he said softly, sliding into the seat next to her. She looked up at him, a little surprised at first, but then smiled, passing him the bacon. 'So maybe Ginny was right… he actually fancies me,' Hermione thought, her stomach doing a little flip-flop. 'Oh, he smells sooooo good,' she thought, attempting to inconspicuously inch her way closer to him. "Good bacon this morning," Ron said to Harry, who looked at him somewhat strangely. "Haven't had bacon this good since the morning of the last Quidditch match," Ron continued, smiling a little and looking at Hermione out of the corner of his eye. Hermione's eyes were wide, but she concentrated on her bran muffin. Before she knew it, Ron was bumping his leg against hers. She looked at him questioningly and he said, "Sorry, didn't know that was your leg." "S'okay," Hermione mumbled. But it wasn't ten seconds later before he was doing it again. "Ron, quit!" she whispered, trying not to laugh. "Quit what?" he whispered back, acting innocent. A couple seconds later, he was at it again. "Ronald Weasley!" she said, somewhat angrily. "Hermione Jane Granger!" Ron said, mocking her. She tried to remain angry, but it just wasn't possible. Everyone stared at her as she burst into laughter, causing Ron to laugh too. "What's going on?" Harry whispered to Ginny. "Something that should have happened a couple weeks ago," she replied, joining their laughter.

To be continued…


	6. Ch 6

A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters!!! Super long chapter for you!! I had to split this and the pageant chapter in two because this ended up being so long. So, there will be an extra chapter from what I said in my last author's note.

It was officially Pageant Week. Everyone was shocked that the pageant was such a big deal at the school; every available inch of the castle had been decorated with twinkling lights that actually turned out to be live fairies. Hermione was a wreck. She still hadn't found a charm for the charms competition, and she needed time to practice it. "I've got to find one!" she said to Ron as they walked out of Defense Against the Dark Arts on Monday. "I might not be any help, but I could come to the library with you after dinner and help you look," he said, opening the door to the Great Hall and letting her walk in front of him. It was lunch time, but Hermione wasn't hungry. "I think I'm going to go to the library for a little bit now. I'll see you later," she said, looking up at him. "Are you sure?" Ron asked, looking concerned. "I'm sure. I'm too anxious to eat right now anyways," she said, her face looking a bit pale, Ron noticed. "Alright," Ron sighed, concern showing on his face, "I'll catch up with you after class and maybe I can help you." "Thanks," she said, touching his arm as she turned to walk out of the Great Hall. Despite the sick feeling she had in her stomach, Hermione smiled, thinking of Ron. She had never seen him be so nice to her, and she was really starting to enjoy it. 'Maybe someday, he might actually want me to be his girlfriend,' the optimistic side of her brain said. 'Let's not get ahead of ourselves,' the other part of her brain said as she opened the door to the library.

As she turned page after page, Hermione's eyes filled with tears. She was never going to find a charm that would be perfect! She heard the chime that ended lunch, so she quickly placed the book back on the shelf and headed out the door to her Arithmancy class. 'I have to find something tonight, or I'm doomed,' she said, her heart pounding. Her face felt hot and she was sure that she was flushed when she walked into her Arithmancy classroom and slipped into a desk near the middle of the room.

Her classes and dinner flew by in an anxious rush. As she picked at her food she heard Ron say to Ginny, "I won't be there tonight, I've got some rubbish potions assignment to finish before tomorrow. I'm sure that nothing earth shattering will happen if I'm not there. I usually don't do much at practice anyways." Hermione looked up at him, catching his eye. He was skipping practice to help her. Who was this person and where had he taken Ron Weasley? Across the table, he looked at her and brought his finger to his lips, indicating that she shouldn't tell anyone that he was really skipping practice to help her. Tears glistened in her eyes as she looked back down, feeling a tiny bit better.

"You ready?" Ron said to Hermione as they stood in the common room after coming back to ditch their robes. Hermione's uniform shirt was un-tucked almost giving the illusion that she didn't have her skirt on and her tie hung loosely around her neck. Ron had taken off his tie altogether and was in the process of rolling up his shirt sleeves. The climbed out of the portrait hole and walked slowly down the corridor. "Did you really skip practice for me?" Hermione said, looking up at him. Taking her bag off her shoulder and putting it on his own, Ron said, "You needed help, and I really didn't need to be at practice anyway. This was more important." The tears came again, threatening to spill as she croaked, "Thank you." Noticing her impending outburst, Ron said, "Hey, it's okay! We're going to find a wicked charm for you to do!" Smiling and wiping her eyes, Hermione said, "I hope so."

Barely an hour had passed when Ron pulled a book off the shelf at random. The cover was worn and was anything but spectacular. "Emotional charms…" he whispered, frowning in thought. He flipped open the book, sitting down at a desk nearby. Turning the page, he found a charm entitled "Sensus Ostendo." It was a charm that classified seven emotions by color. If the charm was placed on a person, his emotion would glow in a halo around his head. 'Hmm, sounds alright to me,' Ron thought, bookmarking the page and getting up to find Hermione. He located her in a corner near the general charms books. Her hair was a mess and it looked like she had been crying again, so he patted her back before sitting down next to her. "I think I found something," he whispered, handing her the book. As she read through the description, tears filled her eyes again and spilled down onto the parchment where she had been taking notes. "So I'll take that as a no," he whispered. She shook her head, her hair swishing back and forth. "I could kiss you," she whispered, squeezing his hand tightly, "It's brilliant. It's perfect. Let's check this book out and get out of here. We still have enough time to practice this before bed time."

"Can we practice in your room? I don't want anyone to see me," Hermione said as they walked briskly from the library. "Sure," Ron said, his heart pounding in his ears a bit. 'Hermione Granger in my room. Alone. With me,' he thought, his hands becoming sweaty. Grateful that he had cleaned his room just two days earlier, Ron opened the door and let Hermione go ahead of him. "_Coloportus_," she said, sealing the door. "Okay, the wand motion looks a bit complex, but the incantation is simple, _Sensio_," Hermione said, plopping down on Ron's bed to read the book. "Who are you going to try it on?" Ron asked, getting a bit nervous. "Why you, of course!" Hermione said, laughing, "Why, feeling something you don't want anyone to know?" Ron cleared his throat nervously and said, "Uh, no." Hermione quickly practiced the wand motion once more and said, "Ready? Here it comes. _Sensio._" They heard "pop", like a bottle being opened, and then a halo appeared around Ron's head. It was violet. "It says in the book that red is angry, orange is lonely, yellow is anxious, green is confused, blue is happy, indigo is content, and violet is love," Hermione said, looking up at Ron for the first time. Her eyes widened and she had to stop herself from falling off the bed. "What color is it?" Ron said, trying to look up. "_Finite Incantatum,_" she said before he could see it. It disappeared with another pop. "What color was it?" Ron asked again, walking toward her. "It was indigo," she lied.

They practiced the charm each night after dinner, and each night, Ron produced the same result. Violet. Hermione always made it disappear before he could see it, telling him a different color each night. As the pageant closed in, Hermione spent more time in her room with Ginny, Parvati, and Lavender, practicing make up and hair for the night of the pageant. The four vowed to get dressed together on Saturday morning before the pageant. "My brother is going to go mad when he sees you," Ginny whispered to Hermione as she stood in front of the mirror in her beaded pink robes. Ginny's mum had made her robes out of satiny silver material that shimmered in the light as she walked. "Oh Ginny, you look beautiful!" Parvati said, slipping into her own deep blue robes.

Friday arrived quickly, and an emergency Hogsmede trip had been scheduled for that night. All students were allowed to go, but the trip would only last for a few hours. Hermione decided that it would be a good time to relax, but Ginny, Parvati, and Lavender wanted to go to the beauty store the majority of the time. "I think maybe I should get some new eye shadow," Lavender said, anxiously examining herself in the mirror. "Well, I think I'd better stay out of the beauty store," Hermione said, pulling on her hooded sweatshirt from her favorite muggle university. Glancing out the window and seeing fat snowflakes, Hermione grabbed her cloak, scarf, and gloves before walking down to the common room. "Harry's stuck in Dumbledore's office. Something about an interview for the Daily Prophet or some rubbish. So it looks like it's just me, you and Ginny," Ron said, pulling on his gloves. "Ginny's going with Parvati and Lavender," Hermione said, struggling to pull her cloak on with her gloved hands. Ron pulled it up onto her shoulders, allowing her to slip her arms all the way in. "Thanks," she said, once again wondering where the real Ron had gone. "So I guess it's just us," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I guess so," Hermione replied, the butterflies in her stomach dancing happily.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" Ron asked as they walked to the village, each with their hands in their pockets. Hermione shrugged, "A bit. I'm sure I'll be quite a bit more nervous tomorrow, though." Snow fell softly, landing on Hermione's hair and cloak. "Ugh, I've already got snow all in my hair," she said, trying to brush it out. "Don't," Ron said, pulling her hand away from her head, "I like it. It's pretty." She looked up at him, amazed, and stopped dead in her tracks. "What's the matter?" he said, stopping a few steps ahead of her. "Who are you, and what have you done with Ron Weasley?" she said, hands on her hips. "Can't a bloke be nice to a lady?" he said, sticking his hands back in his pockets, "Do you want me to stop?" He looked at her, a bit hurt, and she could tell. "No, no," she said softly, beginning to walk again, "You're just being so nice, and I'm not sure why." He was silent for a moment and then said, "Maybe you should think about it for a bit, I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Hogsmede was decorated for Christmas, and the twinkling lights looked even more festive covered with snow. Ron and Hermione spent most of their time in Honeydukes, feeding each other candy and laughing hysterically. "Here, this is one of my favorites," Ron said, holding his hand up to Hermione's mouth. She stuck her tongue out and he shoved the squishy candy in her mouth before she could see it. With a squeak, she turned from a mouse to a turtle to a bird and back to herself again. She was laughing hysterically, bending over to catch her breath. "Here, try this one," she said, trying to catch her breath as she shoved an orange candy into Ron's mouth. He tried to ask her what it was, but all that came out was a loud roar. Hermione laughed even harder, causing herself to cough as she continued to laugh. "Are you okay?" Ron said, laughing as the spell wore off. "I haven't laughed like this in a long time," she said, her hand on his arm as she tried to hold herself up.

"Goodnight, Hermione," Ron whispered as they parted ways on the stairs. She reached out to hug him, and whispered, "Thanks for taking my mind off things." "You're welcome," he said, kissing her lightly on the head. She reluctantly slid out of his arms and continued up the stairs to her dormitory, amazed at the things she had done that night. 'Maybe schoolwork isn't everything…' she thought as she opened the door to see Parvati and Lavender already asleep, 'Well, it is… but other things are nice too." She slipped into her warm covers and was asleep immediately.

The pageant would begin at 1 pm, so the girls woke at 9 am to begin getting dressed. Ginny slipped in around 9:30, her hair still wet from the shower. "You should see the boys out there," she said, setting her bag down on Hermione's bed, "they're already dressed and they're all playing one big game of exploding snap. Most of them say they're coming to the pageant, with the exception of a few firsties that still think girls are 'icky.'" Hermione tried to smile, but before she knew it, she was running to the bathroom to throw up. "Hermione! Are you alright?" Parvati called through the door. "I don't know," Hermione croaked, tears in her eyes as she leaned against the wall of the stall from her position on the ground. "It'll be okay, I'll be right back," Ginny said, and Hermione could hear her footsteps as she left the room.

Ron and Harry were playing exploding snap with Fred and George, who had come with the rest of the Weasley family to see Hermione and Ginny participate in the pageant. They were shocked when Ginny appeared at the balcony whispering, "Ron!" Ron looked up at his sister, who was motioning him up the stairs. He shrugged and sat his cards down, walking up the stairs to his sister. "What's the matter?" he asked, looking at her in her bathrobe. "Hermione's sick," she said, pulling on his arm. "Nerves?" he asked. Ginny nodded as she opened the door to the seventh year girls' dormitory. Parvati and Lavender were still standing at the bathroom door, trying to coax Hermione out into the bedroom. They seemed surprised to see Ron walking in with Ginny, but Parvati smiled knowingly, stepping aside so he could talk to Hermione through the door. He heard the water running; Hermione was getting a drink from the sink. "Hermione?" he asked softly. "Ron!" she croaked, "What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here!" He could tell that she was crying so he said, "Just let me in, I want to talk to you." She sniffled and then said, "I look horrible." With his hand on the door knob, Ron said, "No you don't. I'm coming in now." He turned the knob, letting himself into the bathroom and shutting the door behind him. "Where are you?" he said, rounding the corner. "Right here," she said miserably. He looked down to find her at his feet, leaning against the wall.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly, sitting down beside her on the floor. "I don't know. I've never been nervous like this before," she said, tears filling her eyes again. Completely out of character, she climbed up into Ron's lap and laid her head against his chest. Instinctually, his arms went around her and he pulled her close to him, stroking her hair as she cried. "It's going to be okay! You are going to do fine! You're brilliant, you're charming, and you're beautiful," Ron whispered to her, his lips on her forehead. "Really? You think I'm beautiful?" she whispered, looking up at him. "Yes, I really do," he said, holding her close to him, "Now, are you ready to show everyone how awesome you are?" He really didn't want to let her go; he would have been content to stay with her in the bathroom all day, but he knew that she needed to start getting dressed. 'I'm in a bathroom, with Hermione Granger on my lap,' Ron thought, amazed at how some situations work out.

In a few hours, Hermione and the rest of the girls were ready to head down to the Great Hall for pictures and mingling. Ginny left the room first, since she was the least nervous of the four. "Come on girls, there are only a few people in the common room," Ginny called from the stairs. Hermione forced herself to walk out of the room and down the stairs, concentrating on walking in her high heeled shoes. She held her wand at her side tightly, thinking over the wand motions for her charm as she walked into the common room. She heard a familiar voice curse and she looked up, seeing Ron leaning against the wall, staring at her. A goofy smile spread across her lips before she could stop herself as Ron walked up to her. "You look gorgeous," he whispered, afraid to touch her. "Hug me," she demanded in a whisper, smiling at him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him, his head magnetically drawn to the crook of her neck. Before he could stop himself, he had kissed her on the neck. She pulled back, looking at him slyly. "Who are you, and what have you done with Ron Weasley?" she whispered, her arms still around his neck. "Sorry, I couldn't help my self! You just look so… irresistible," he whispered in her ear, his hot breath making her shiver. "I've got to go. Walk me down?" she said, once again reluctantly slipping out of his arms.  

To be continued…


	7. Ch 7

A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters!!!

Hermione was floating on air. She had never actually felt beautiful in her life, and now, as she walked down the hallway, people were stopping to stare at her. Ron couldn't stop looking at her; she actually felt sexy. It was an incredible feeling and she hoped it would carry over to her time on stage. "Feeling better?" Ron said as they reached the spot where they would have to part. "Much better, thank you," she said, her hand reaching for his. "You're going to win today," he whispered, squeezing her hand. Hermione laughed and said, "I doubt that. My goal is to get past the first round." "You will," he said, squeezing her hand again. Parvati and Lavender walked by, waving at her as they entered the room off to the left of the Great Hall. "I'll see you after it's all over," Hermione said, a touch of nervousness in her voice. "Good luck," Ron said as they backed away from each other. "Thanks," she said, her hand on the door knob.

It was comical to see 80 girls crammed in one small room, and it was even funnier when Peeves showed up, blowing raspberries and telling some Slytherin girls that they should have stayed home. Hermione tried to look scandalized, but small bursts of laughter kept slipping out. A photographer from the Daily Prophet was taking group pictures while they waited for the pageant to begin. Professor McGonagall gave a short talk and then introduced Ashley Cuddington, the winner of the Miss Hogwarts pageant from seven years back. Hermione's nervousness came in spurts; at times she could control it by thinking about schoolwork.

When 1 pm came, Hermione heard music coming from the Great Hall, and the rest of the girls began to giggle and chatter nervously. Ginny rolled her eyes, still retaining her tom-boyish qualities under all the make up and glitzy fabric. "Ladies, remember. Tonight, you not only represent yourself, you represent your house and Hogwarts School. So please, try your hardest," Professor McGonagall said, opening the door to the stage, revealing the standing room only crowd. Hermione's stomach flipped and flopped as the girls filed out onto the stage for their introductions and the evening robes competition. Glancing down at the judges, Hermione was shocked to see Donatella Versachi sitting at a judging table. Donatella winked at Hermione as she made her first pass across the stage and walked to her placement marker on the stage. A band of goblins played strange music as an announcer stated each contestant's name, house, and a fact about her. "…Genevra Molly Weasley, Gryffindor, Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team." Ginny proudly walked across the front of the stage as the Gryffindor Quidditch team and the rest of the house cheered loudly. Hermione could see Ron and Harry in the back with Ron's brothers. "GO GENEVRA!" They yelled loudly, causing Ginny's smile to grow larger as she made her way back to her placement marker; the team had taken to calling her that since they had found out that her full name was Genevra. Several other names were called before Hermione was called to the front. "Hermione Jane Granger, Gryffindor, Head Girl." The crowd broke into loud applause as she held her head high and walked across the front of the stage, genuinely smiling as her nervousness melted away.

"Hermione looks positively spiffing," George said to Ron. "Absolutely maddening!" Fred added. The smile faded from Ron's face as George asked, "Oy, is she your girlfriend?" Ron looked at Harry, who could offer him no assistance. "No…" Ron began. "Good, then you won't mind if I go after her, will you bro?" George said, rubbing his hands together. "I wouldn't mind getting a piece of that," Fred continued, nudging Ron in the ribs. "Oh shut it," Ron said angrily. "Ickle Ronnie's got a crush!" George said gleefully. "Just shut it," Ron groaned, covering his red face with his hands. "No joking, Ron. If I weren't… preoccupied, I'd be entertaining the thought myself," Bill said, gesturing to Fleur, who was a few chairs down the line from him.

Hermione patted her hair, ensuring that it was still in place as the rest of the 80 contestants made their way across the stage. She had parted her hair on the side and combed it across, making a smooth part on the top of her head. Then, she had curled the rest of her hair, creating spiral curls that bounced when she walked. She was amazed at the different a hair style and some make up could make, and it felt good knowing that Ron had finally noticed her. 'He actually thinks I'm beautiful,' she remembered, thinking about the incident in the bathroom. Lost in thought, Hermione jumped when her name was called. The crowd was cheering as Hermione walked to the front of the stage to join 9 girls who had already been called forward including Ginny, Parvati, Lavender, Pansy, and five others. Five more were called after Hermione, completing the field that was now narrowed to 15.

Unfortunately for Hermione, she had been drawn out of the Sorting Hat to go first in the Charms round. Everyone watched in anticipation as she walked to the front of the stage to speak, her voice having been magically magnified. "I'm going to perform a charm called Sensus Ostendo, which allows the user to determine the mood of the person she places under the charm. Could I have a volunteer?" Hermione said, forcing her voice to be steady as her hand shook slightly. Several people raised their hands, but Professor Dumbledore walked onto the stage. "This won't hurt a bit, Professor," Hermione said, the crowd chuckling. "_Sensio_," she said, performing the complex wand motion. A loud "pop" was heard and a bright blue halo appeared around Professor Dumbledore's head. "Congratulations Professor, you are very happy today," Hermione said, causing the crowd to laugh again. "There are seven possible colors, each indicating a specific mood. Red is angry, orange is lonely, yellow is anxious, green is confused, blue is happy, indigo is content, and violet is love." She bowed as the crowd applauded cheerfully. "_Finite Incantatum,_" she whispered at Professor Dumbledore as she left the stage.

Hermione stood off stage in agony as she waited for the rest of the girls to finish their charms. Ginny produced flowers all over the Great Hall and Pansy Parkinson made bubbles shoot out of her wand. Finally, it was time to head back out onto the stage to hear the names of the remaining contestants. "The charms contest was judged on difficulty, execution, and reaction of the crowd. The finalists, in random order are: Genevra Weasley, Pansy Parkinson, Parvati Patil, Susan Bones, and Hermione Granger." The crowd erupted. "Alright Hermione and Ginny!" Harry and Ron yelled from the back, barely audible over the cheering of the rest of the crowd. Hermione had to restrain herself from screaming as she walked to the front to join the other four girls. The other girls filed off stage sadly as Professor McGonagall climbed up the steps that lead to the stage. The crowd quieted as she came to a stop on the right side of the stage. "The final questions have been personalized for each contestant so that they will be particularly difficult. Each contestant will have a maximum of thirty seconds to complete her answer. First up, Pansy Parkinson." Pansy practically pranced into the spotlight next to Professor McGonagall.

"Miss Parkinson, if you were forced to make a choice to become destitute to be with the one you loved or live a rich and lonely life, what would you choose and why?" The crowed oohed as the smile on Pansy's face faltered. Essentially, Pansy couldn't win. She could lie, and everyone would know it, or she could tell the truth and everyone would hate her answer. Of course, she lied. "I would choose love. Love is the most important thing in the world. It's definitely more important than gold or power," she forced herself to say while pasting on a smile. Several snickers were heard from the back of the auditorium.

Ginny answered a question about animals, Parvati answered a question about the importance of formal education, and Susan answered a question about what she would choose: bravery or knowledge. At last, Hermione was called into the hot seat. "Miss Granger, are loving relationships as important for development as practical knowledge?" Hermione's body relaxed. Two months ago, this question would have been impossible for her to answer, but today, she was proud to say that she knew the answer to that question. "Professor," her voice boomed over the crowded hall, "loving relationships are more important. Whether it is a close relationship with a friend, or a secret romance that shouldn't be a secret anymore, love teaches us to give freely, without wanting something in return. Maybe if we all added a bit more love to our lives, we'd be a whole lot happier." As she walked back to her place in the line, hearing the cheers of the crowd, Hermione swore that she saw Professor McGonagall smile.

"Before proceeding, we would like to introduce tonight's judges," the announcer said and the magical spotlight swooped down below the stage, "Professor Flitwick, Charms teacher and Head of Hufflepuff House; Donatella Versachi, muggle and wizarding fashion expert; Lucious Malfoy from the Ministry of Magic; Celestine Warbeck, Entertainer; and Remus Lupin, former Hogwarts professor." Each judge stood in turn to wave at the crowd in response to cheers. Lucious Malfoy only received a smattering of applause.

Professor Dumbledore climbed onto the stage, escorting Ashley Cuddington, the previous Miss Hogwarts. Her sash twinkled like the tiara that she was carrying. "Thank you all for coming," Professor Dumbledore said to the crowd, "We will begin by announcing the fourth runner up." A man appeared on stage with flowers in his arms as Professor Dumbledore said, "Miss Susan Bones." The Hufflepuff crowd cheered as Susan walked forward to accept her flowers. The tension rose up into Hermione's throat as she shook in anticipation. "The third runner up is Miss Parvati Patil." The crowd cheered as Parvati received her flowers, trying not to cry from disappointment. "These last three positions were very tough to decide. The second runner up is Miss Genevra Weasley." Ginny smiled happily and the Gryffindor crowd again cried, "GO GENEVRA!" Hermione couldn't believe it. Pansy Parkinson had beaten Ginny despite her obviously fake answer to the final question. Hermione tried not to fume at Lucious Malfoy as Professor Dumbledore began to speak again. "The first runner up is…" he paused suspensefully. Time stood still for Hermione as she looked out to Ron in the audience. The room was dim and the stage lights were bright, so she could barely see him, but she knew where he had been sitting. "… Miss Pansy Parkinson." The Great Hall exploded into screams and cheers as Ashley Cuddington and Professor Dumbledore walked up to Hermione. "Congratulations to Miss Hermione Granger, the new Miss Hogwarts!" The crowd screamed again as Ashley placed the tiara on Hermione's head, tapping it with her wand to set it in place. Cameras flashed all over the audience as Professor Dumbledore flicked his wand, placing the sash around Hermione.

"All Hogwarts students and family are invited to stay for a victory celebration right here in the Great Hall beginning in one hour. The dress is casual, so ladies, you may return to your dormitories to change into some more festive clothing," Professor Dumbledore said, dismissing the group. Hermione was in a state of shock as she walked off the stage and out into the crowd. "Way to go, Hermione!" "Great job, wicked charm!" she heard. No matter how hard she listened though, she didn't hear the one voice that she was dying to hear. 'I'll see him in the common room, I'm sure,' she thought, being shunted out of the hall and up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room.

To be continued…


	8. Ch 8

A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters!!!  This is the last chapter, folks. There will be a chapter long Epilogue after this, though. And in reply to some of the reviews I've gotten, I do agree that some of my characters should be a bit more developed; however, I have two reasons for this. One, the fic is supposed to be just about Hermione and her struggle to become beautiful (outside and in). Second, I am trying to finish this fic before Thursday of this week because I have to go on vacation, and then on Monday, I begin my Thermodynamics class, which is going to replace my writing time with homework. I wish I could develop Ginny and Harry's relationship more within this story, but I just don't have time. Maybe at another time, I'll get the chance.

"Granger is our Queen, She beat Pansy Parkinson, so that's why Gryffindors sing, Granger is our Queen!" Hermione heard her housemates singing in the common room. She was attempting to change into muggle clothes without taking off her tiara. "Okay, don't move now. Let me pull your sweater down," Ginny said, standing on Hermione's bed. Hermione was wearing a blue sweater that her mother had recently sent to her and a pair of her favorite jeans. Ginny had borrowed Hermione's FDNY sweatshirt that she had gotten while on holiday to the States, and the girls were dressing quickly. Hermione looked at Ginny, both of them feeling awkward about being with Parvati and Lavender, who were on Parvati's bed crying. "If it couldn't be one of us, we're glad it was you, Hermione. But that stupid hag beat us! And Susan Bones?!" Lavender wailed. "I hope you guys will come to the party," Hermione said as she and Ginny slinked to the door. Parvati blew her nose loudly as Ginny snapped the door shut. "Wow, a bit too serious about themselves, aren't they?" Ginny whispered to Hermione as they walked down the stairs.

The whole common room burst into cheers as Hermione emerged at the bottom of the stairs. "Granger is our Queen" was sung several more times as Hermione was hoisted onto the shoulders of the Weasley twins. "Put me down!" she squealed, laughing hysterically. They carried her all the way out of the common room and to the Great Hall before setting her down. Hermione spotted Ron and reached out to grab him, but she was whisked away by the twins before she could catch his hand. "Sorry," she mouthed to him, being pushed along by the twins. "We're your dates for tonight," Fred said, leading her out onto the dance floor that had been created in the Great Hall. "You deserve to have loads of fun tonight, something our dear brother can't provide for you," George continued, on Hermione's other arm. Hermione opened her mouth to object but Fred said, "I think some punch is in order, don't you agree, Forge?" George nodded and was gone in a flash. Music was blaring as more and more people filtered into the Great Hall for the party, and Fred was swinging Hermione around in a fashion that she wouldn't exactly call dancing. George was back as quickly as he had left, and he was carrying three cups of pinkish punch. "Drink up!" he said, handing Hermione her cup. She was parched; she hadn't had a drink since she had leaned over the sink for some water after throwing up. Slamming the cup back, Hermione felt a faint burning sensation as the liquid slipped down her throat. Fred and George shared a look as Hermione finished the drink in one gulp. Since it only takes 13 seconds to hit your brain, Hermione was already feeling the affects of the alcohol that George had added to her punch. Her inexperience with alcohol coupled with an empty stomach made a dangerous combination, and in a matter of minutes, Hermione had a major buzz.

George got her another drink as she danced with Fred, all the while looking around for Ron. "Everyone looks kind of swirly," she commented, moving to the music. George arrived with her second drink, which she also slammed, not having quenched her thirst with the last one. As soon as the drink was down her throat, a light went on in her head. Echoing in her mind, she heard Parvati say, "Someone always spikes the punch." 'Oh no, I'm going to be drunk!' was her last coherent thought before the alcohol took over. She giggled, handing the empty cup to George. "All your base are belong to us!" she said, laughing so hard she snorted. Fred looked at George questioningly but George shrugged his shoulders, walking off to get more punch. (A/N: Google it.)

"What are you guys doing to her? It looks like there's something wrong with her," Ginny whispered viciously to George when he reached the punch bowl. "Nothing. She's thirsty," George said, laughing. "George Weasley, if you did what I think you did, you are going to be dead," Ginny said, stomping off to find Ron. "And you'll do what, a bat-bogey hex?" George taunted. Ginny turned around angrily and said, "No. Tell Mum."

Ron had his back to the dance floor. He didn't want to see Hermione dancing with his brothers when he knew that they didn't care about her like he did. He had spent an hour trying not to look at them, and it was becoming hard to tolerate. Harry was talking with Dean while Ron stood stoically, drinking the punch that was obviously spiked. Living with Fred and George, he had been intoxicated loads of times, so one cup wasn't going to affect him. He heard footsteps and turned to his right, seeing Ginny stomping up to them. "I'm going to kill them!" she screamed. The conversation stopped and everyone stared at her. She pointed out onto the dance floor and everyone's eyes followed her finger to the spot where Hermione was falling over drunk on the dance floor with Fred and George. "I'll kill them," Ron said, slamming his cup down on a table and storming onto the dance floor. The majority of the crowd was oblivious, dancing to the loud music blaring from the speaker boxes that were not connected to any sort of a stereo.

Harry and Ginny scurried after Ron as he walked straight to the twins. Cursing, Ron angrily yelled, "What do you think you're doing?! She'd die if she knew what you did to her!" Fred shrugged and said, "She's the one who drank it." Ron grabbed Hermione's arm, causing her to notice him for the first time. "Ron!" she gasped happily, "I'm so glad to see you!" She draped her arms around him, shifting her weight for him to bear. Ron grunted, adjusting to the unexpected load, and said, "Are you okay?" Harry and Ginny helped Ron carry her away inconspicuously as she said in a loud whisper, "I think someone piked the spunch!" Ginny tried not to laugh since Ron looked ready to kill, but she patted Hermione on the arm and said, "Someone did!" "What if I get drunk?" Hermione asked wide eyed, looking at Ginny. Biting her lip to keep from laughing, Ginny said, "I think you already are!" Hermione gasped dramatically as most drunks do, and said, "Oh no!"

"What are we going to do with her? She can't be alone," Ginny said as they carried her up the stairs and into the common room. "I'm taking her to my room," Ron said, coaxing Hermione along, who was now talking about Pansy Parkinson. "Ginny, I don't know why Pansy Puke-in-son beat you. She's so ugly…" Hermione trailed off as Ron opened the door to his room. "Ahh, Ronnie's room," she said, going straight for the bed. "Ginny, can you get that tiara off and maybe help her into some pajamas?" Ron said, noticeably stressed. "Sure," Ginny said, patting his arm as he and Harry walked back out into the stairwell. "Come on, Hermione," they heard Ginny say, followed by giggles from Hermione. Harry looked at Ron meaningfully as Ron tried to avoid his gaze. "Ron, you're in love with her. You're positively in love with her!" Harry whispered, grabbing his friend by the shoulders. "So?" Ron whispered fiercely, looking up into Harry's green eyes. "So tell her. When she's sober," Harry said as Ginny walked out, smiling. "Have fun keeping track of her tonight, bro. She's totally smashed," she said, taking Harry's arm and leading him off. "Hey, where are you two going?" he called. Ginny waved, antagonizing him, and said, "Out!"

Ron opened his door to find Hermione lying on his bed, curled up in the blankets. "_Coloportus,_" he whispered, sealing the door. He changed in the bathroom, hoping that she would be asleep by the time he made it back into the room. Climbing into bed slowly, Ron tried not to rouse her if she was nearly asleep. He slid under the covers, not entirely sure how he was going to manage to sleep at all. "Mmm, Ron," Hermione said, wrapping her arms around him and sliding one hand up the back of his shirt. Ron froze. His eyes were wide as he looked down at her, seeing only a mess of hair since her face was buried into his chest. "Hermione?" he whispered, but heard only snoring. He relaxed, draping an arm around her waist and sliding the other one under the pillow that she was now sharing with him. 'This isn't so bad after all,' Ron said, pulling Hermione a little closer to him.

After managing to fall asleep a few hours after getting into bed, Ron was awoken by a groan as Hangover Hermione decided to emerge. "Ron, I think I'm going to throw up," she moaned, trying to sit up. Immediately, Ron leaped into action, sliding out of bed to help her up. "Nice and slow… we'll make it there. The bathroom is just right across the room here," he said, taking her arm to help steady her. Getting her out of bed was easy compared to getting her walking. She moaned as they slowly walked across the room, "Ron, I'm dying," she groaned. "Shhh, someone might think we're, well, you know…" he said, opening the bathroom door. As soon as she spotted the toilet, she was on the floor, hugging the bowl. "Ron, go away. I don't want you to see me puke," she moaned, trying to pull her hair out of her face. "No, you might pass out and hit your head on the stall, so I need to stay with you," he said, straddling her feet to hold her hair back as her face turned another shade of green just before she projectile vomited a large amount of pink liquid. She moaned, her shoulders shaking as she started to cry. "I'm dying, Ron," she bawled, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "You alright, or are you going to go again?" Ron asked softly, amazed that her vomit did not make him vomit as well. She leaned over the toilet, assessing the situation for a moment before speaking. "I'm okay, I think. I actually feel loads better, but I still feel like my head was stomped on by a hippogriff," she croaked, slowly sitting up. "Want to go back to the bed?" Ron asked, helping her to her feet. "Yeah, but I want some water," she said, wiping her mouth again.

After helping her back to bed, Ron poured a small amount of water in a glass for her, handing it to her and saying, "Small sips." Her eyes followed him above the rim of the glass as he walked to the other side of the bed to climb back in. "Ron," she said, placing the glass on his bedside table, "I'm really sorry about the party. I tried to get away from them, but they kept dragging me off, and before I knew it, I was drunk." Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at him pitifully, the covers up around her as she shivered. Ron sighed, scooting closer to her under the covers. "It's not your fault, Hermione," he whispered, gently touching her aching head. She continued to cry and Ron said, "Hermione, you have to stop or you're going to make yourself sick again." He placed his hand on her cheek to wipe away some of the tears that had fallen from her eyes but had not yet reached the pillows. She smiled, sniffling, and looked at him. "I can't believe you kissed my neck," she whispered, a giggle threatening to slip out. Ron's ears turned a little red, but he smiled, "Sorry, like I said, those robes… you were just so irresistible." She laughed quietly and said, "I'm a little bit easier to resist right now though, I'm sure." Seeing this as his big opportunity, Ron said, "No, I find you irresistible a vast majority of the time." Her amused smile softened as she looked at him. "Then why am I not your girlfriend?" she whispered. Ron paused for a second before saying, "You know, that's a good question. Do you want to be?" Instantly insecure, Hermione said, "Do you want me to be?" Ron chuckled, "You know, I'll never understand women. I've been trying to show you how much I like you for several months now, and you can't seem to believe that I actually like you. You'd think that winning a beauty pageant would give a girl a little more self esteem, but it doesn't look like it."

Hermione frowned for a moment, still a little slow on the uptake. "Hermione, I want you to be my girlfriend more than anything," Ron sighed, exasperated at her sudden lack of brain cells. She stared at him, a look of amazement in her eyes. "So much so, in fact, that I could kiss you right now, knowing that you just threw up five minutes ago, and not be bothered by it," Ron continued. Hermione sat up, placing her hands on her hips and sternly said, "First off, Ronald Weasley, of course I'll be your girlfriend. Second, you would only kiss me now because you know it was just liquid vomit and I've had a drink of water since then." Ron opened his mouth to protest her second comment and then stopped. "Did you just say that you'd be my girlfriend?" he asked, looking at her suspiciously. "Of course I did," she said, her face dissolving into a smile. They looked at each other awkwardly for a few minutes until Ron lay back down, motioning for Hermione to come with him. As she lay in his arms for the second time of the night, Hermione couldn't help but think how spectacularly the night had gone. Looking down at herself, she noticed that the shirt she was wearing did not belong to her, and the pair of shorts she was wearing had little golden snitches all over them. "Are these your clothes? How did I get in them?" she said, a bit confused. Ron laughed, looking down at her clothes also. "Well, the shirt is mine. Those shorts actually belong to Harry. Last year, we were into playing pranks on each other in the locker room, so after practice one night, I hid his boxers in my bag, and I've had them since. Occasionally he says something about how he wishes he still had them," Ron explained, laughing hysterically by the end of the story.

Hermione woke up in the morning with a pounding headache, but seeing Ron lying next to her made the hangover worth all the trouble. "Good morning," he whispered to her when she rolled over to face him. "Hi," she said, holding her throbbing head. "Head still hurt?" he said, gently stroking her hair. "Yeah, and my mouth feels like I ate a pillow," she said, rolling over to grab her glass of water. Ron glanced at the clock. It was nearly lunch time, so he said, "Let's get dressed and we'll head down to lunch. You really need to try to eat something since you didn't the whole day yesterday." "Okay," Hermione groaned, "I don't want to leave this bed and go out into the real world." Kissing her on the forehead before sliding out of bed, Ron said, "I know, me either. But at least we have each other now, which is more than we had yesterday."

The disheveled pair walked out of Ron's room and immediately ran into Harry and Ginny, who looked equally disheveled. "Where have you two been?" Ron and Harry both said, accusingly. "None of your business," Ginny and Hermione said, giggling. "You know, it's best that I not know," Ron said, waving them off as he put his arm around Hermione and continued on to the Great Hall. Glancing at Ron out of the corner of her eye, Hermione looked at Ginny and mischievously said, "So Ginny, did you find out why they _really_ call it the Shrieking Shack?" Ginny laughed out loud and Ron gagged. "Hermione, are you going to hold my hair back when I vomit right here in the hallway?" he said, a look of disgust on his face. "Oh, like you're so innocent!" Harry retorted, pulling open the door to the Great Hall. "What? Nothing happened!" Hermione said, her eyes wide. "Lairs! We heard you moaning!" Ginny whispered shrilly. "I told you!" Ron said, looking at Hermione. This, of course, gave everyone the wrong idea.

The End! Epilogue to come!


	9. Epilogue

A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters!!!  I can't believe that no one commented on the "All your base are belong to us" thing in one of the past chapters! Sorry it took so long for me to get this up. I hope the quality of the chapter makes up for it. You know how life is sometimes. And with this Epilogue, I bid you Adieu.

It was a sweltering day in July when a Vauxhall VXR220 (A/N: Google it) automobile rolled up in front of Number 12 Grimmald place. Auror-In-Training, Ronald Weasley, was watching the car through the window. The metallic flecks in the blue paint sparkled in the bright afternoon sun as a very familiar person climbed out of the driver's seat. The smile on Ron's face grew wide when he saw the future Hermione Weasley climb out of her car. Only, she didn't know she was the future Mrs. Weasley. At least not yet.

Harry and Ginny stood behind Ron in the hallway, giggling nervously. "You're going to do it tonight, right?" Ginny whispered as Hermione made her way up the steps to the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter's permanent residence. Having graduated from Hogwarts over three years ago, Harry and Ron were now sharing Number 12 Grimmauld place as they continued Auror training. Hermione had taken a job as a potions creator at the Diagon Alley location of Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals (A/N: Google it). Even Lilly had a magical division. Hermione had quickly climbed her way up to the position of Potions Master in the Anti-Dark Arts Laboratory. She spent her free time creating special potions for the Order and racing muggle cars at a track in London.

Ron and Hermione had managed to stay together for close to four years, as had Harry and Ginny. Ron couldn't believe that he was going to be 21 soon; it was a strange feeling to know that he could do magic outside of school and marry the girl of his dreams. Speaking of marrying Hermione Granger, in his pocket, Ron was carrying a very expensive diamond ring that he purchased in a muggle shop. Ginny informed him that Hermione wanted a muggle style engagement ring more than anything; how Ginny knew that, Ron wasn't sure. He planned to take Hermione to Hogsmeade, which neither of them had visited since leaving Hogwarts, and they would take a stroll out to the Shrieking Shack where he would somehow find the nerve to ask Hermione to marry him. If all went as planned, Ron would propose in the light of the half moon and millions of brilliant stars.

"Hello, love!" Hermione said, hugging Ron with her free arm and giving him a quick kiss on the lips. She had her overnight bag slung over her other arm and was wearing muggle Capri pants and a polo shirt. Ron returned her hug, lingering a little bit longer than usual, causing Hermione to look at him for a second before noticing Harry and Ginny standing in the foyer. "Hello, you lot! Are you going to Hogsmeade with us?" Hermione asked, setting her bag down on the floor. Ginny looked at Harry in a way which struck Hermione as strange, and then Ginny said, "Nah, we're just going to stay here and play chess." Ron quickly changed the subject by saying, "Come on, let's take your bag up to my room." He grabbed Hermione's hand and practically drug her up the stairs. "Ron, is something going on here?" she asked, stopping in the doorway of his room. A panic-stricken look in his eyes, Ron quickly said, "No, why would you think that?" His heart pounding, he thought, 'She's going to figure it out.' Hermione's stomach churned as she looked at Ron, who was avoiding her gaze. 'He's going to tell me that he doesn't want to move in with me,' she thought sadly, looking at Ron.

The pair pretended to act normal while changing clothes to head to Hogsmeade. They Apperated directly in front of The Three Broomsticks, where they had planned to have a drink before walking around the village. Ron couldn't stand the tension and anxiety for much longer, and he kept feeling his pocket, making sure that he hadn't lost the ring. "So," Hermione said softly, setting her butterbeer bottle down on the table, "Where would you like to go first?" Ron's heart pounded even more as he got up the nerve to say, "You fancy a walk to the Shrieking Shack?" Hermione swallowed, thinking, 'He's going to tell me no, I know it.' She nodded her head, agreeing to take a walk. Ron took the last drink of his butterbeer and stood up, Hermione following his lead.

They walked in silence as they left The Three Broomsticks and headed in the direction of the hill where the Shrieking Shack stood. The sun was putting on a last display of glory as it dropped below the horizon, bathing Hermione and Ron in red, gold, and yellow light. Ron looked over at Hermione, amazed at how just the sight of her could make butterflies appear in his stomach even after knowing her for ten years. The gold in her hair was highlighted by the waning sunlight and her eyes glittered as she glanced over at him curiously. "What?" she asked, forgetting her nervousness for a moment. Ron's eyes met hers as his clenched jaw relaxed into a small smile.

Just as the sun finally surrendered to the horizon, Hermione and Ron sat down on a rock near the spot where Harry had thrown mud at Malfoy all those years ago. To Ron, those days seemed so far away. Hermione was trying so hard to force her hands to stop shaking, but she just couldn't. Worried Ron would notice, she slid her hands under her thighs as she sat on the rock. The pair sat in excruciating silence for a few moments as Ron agonized over the right words to use. "Ron—" Hermione blurted out just as Ron said, "Hermione—" They both giggled nervously and Hermione began to speak again, but Ron interrupted her, "I'm sorry, but need to go first. I have to do this before I lose the nerve." "Um, okay," Hermione croaked, her throat seizing up.

He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly and shakily, wiping his sweaty hands on his pants. He could see Hogwarts castle off in the distance, surrounded by mist. "Hermione… the past four years have been the most amazing time in my life. You are such a special person to me, and I wouldn't have survived Auror training this long if it hadn't been for you," Ron began. Hermione listened, her body filling with horror. 'Not only does he not want to move in with me, he's going to break up with me,' she thought, almost choking. She heard Ron take another deep breath to continue, and she let her face fall into her hands, the first tears stinging her eyes. "Hermione," he said, the pitch of his voice climbing as his throat tightened. 'Don't cry, you git,' he told himself as he put his hand in his pocket to pull out the ring; he had put it in a chocolate frog box to add to the surprise. "…because you are so wonderful, and I love you so very much, I wanted to give you this." She peeked between her fingers and then removed her hands, looking at the chocolate frog box. Ron tried not to laugh out of nervousness as he regarded the bewildered look on her face.

She slowly took the box in her hand and pulled the cord slowly, fully expecting a frog to come jumping out on her. But as the flaps fell open, she saw the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. Emotions flooded her body, causing her to burst into tears out of relief and joy. Relieved himself, a true smile formed on Ron's lips as he watched Hermione hold the ring in her hand, clutched close to her heart, as she sobbed. "So, is that a yes?" Ron asked, leaning down to look in her watery eyes. "Of course!" she said, continuing to sob. "Well, here, let's put it on then," Ron said, gently pulling her hand away from her heart.

Hermione watched in disbelief as Ron slipped the ring on her finger. Hermione sighed happily, leaning against Ron and snuggling into his arms. They sat in silence for a moment until Ron said, "Now will you let me drive your car?" Hermione looked down at the ring, moving it with her thumb to make it sparkle in the moonlight. "Mmm…" she said, thinking, "no." Ron gasped, pulling her away to look at her face. Hermione laughed, tears still on her cheeks. "Okay, maybe," she said, seeing the look on Ron's face. Ron chuckled and pulled her back into his arms. "I love you, Ronald Weasley," she whispered. Leaning his cheek against her smooth hair, Ron smiled and said, "I love you, too."

THE END!!!!!

(Oh, I can't believe it's over. sobs)


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